Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1887-05-26

HISTaKY REVIVED AND
ii REVISED.

This is an age of booms; and the ex
humation the other day at Piedmont,
North Carolina, of the remains of Peter
Stuart Ney, French school master,
who died there about seventy years ago,
in the hope of establishing the fact that
the handful of dust was all that remain
ed OF the world-famed Marshal Ney,
Napolean's honored and trusted soldier
is one of the most novel and original
attempts at boom making the country
has ever known, and puts to blush the
best efforts of Kansas real estate
agent with his thrilling descriptions of
corner lots and "the latest and best
city addition.
With the life of Marshal Ney, readers
of history are we'll acquainted; but
comparatively few know any thing of
the man to whose ashes the attention
of the reading public has been drawn
by the absurd story of newspaper
correspondent who, in special dis
patch of three columns from, Raleigh,
rehashes a bit of latter-day history
which was never thought to contain a
grain of truth. The story in substance
is that, in 1916. there appeared in
Davie county, North Carolina, French
man, who gave his name as Peter S.
Ney. He opened school, which he
continued for several years with success,
being loved and admired by his pupils.
A story was started to the effect that
the retired pedagogue was none other
than the famous Marshall Ney of France,
and, as years passed, the belief grew
upon the people and in many ways
they tried to lead the school-master to
talk of his past life, topic which Ney
studiously avoided except when in the
presence of two intimate friends, Cap
tain Houston and his daug hter, Mrs.
Dalton, to whom it is said Ney I'M
bosomed himself, first pledging his
friends to secrecy. AS to physique,
personal appearance, age, character of
wounds there is said to have been strik-
ing similarity between the two men. Ney
on one occasion displayed wonderful
dexterity in fencing with short sword,
and excelled in all athletic sports.
Several times when under the infu-
ence of liquor he dropped his usual re
serve. The school master is represent
ed as having spoken freely of himself
once when he was so drunk that he
could not stand alone, at which time he
alluded to the part he took in the battle
of Waterloo, and how he escaped death
when he was officially reported to have
been shot. We quote from the dis
patch:-
''The firing party was composed of
Ney.s old troops, and they had an op-
portunity to av4d killing him. There
were few witnesses to the scene. P.S
Ney once told Mrs. Dalton that the
matter was preconcerted by himself
and the officer of the squad; and, as
the latter passed the squad he babe
the men aim high, whereas it had al
ways been his command to aim low
Ney fell; his bodp was cofined hastily,
then taken out of the box, disguised,
and taken by trusted friends to Bor-
deaux, whence he shipped to America
in trading vessel. \ While Ney
was seated by fire in hotel in Oar
lington, S. Or. stranger came in and
spoke of an extensive tour that he had
just made saying he had visited Mar
seal Ney's grave while in France. Peter
s. Ney reused sufficiently to say; But
Ney was not there his bones cannot be
found in the soil of France. ~
Once, when drunk, Ney said he was
the Duke of Elchingen, or left that
impression as he was being carried cross
wise on horse to Capt Houston's
house."
The story is altogether improbable
for many reasons, the first of which is,
the death of Micheal Ney, Marshal of
France, Duke of Elchingen, is as we'll
authenticated as any other matter
of history. Had it been possible for
Ney to have escaped, by practicing
duplicity, the death which he had so
calmy prepared himself to meet, it is
not probable that he would have taken
up his abode in an obscure North Car
DINA town and lived there for so many
years away from his beloved family.
when 1t would have been an easy mat
ter for the them to have Joined him.
Again, imagine if you can, the stern,
taciturn warrior of infexible purpose
as being common bar-room loafer,
and, while under the influence of drink,
relating his life history to motely
crowd of gasping listeners. In the
writer's opinion the marshal, had he
been in hiding, would not have revealed
his identity at any time, and, being
sensitive as well as a sensible man,
least of all when drunk, it
being characteristic of human nature
to ridicule any extravagant statements
man may make while in such condition;
and it is highly probable that the tipsy
school-teacher' S boasts were so received.
The school masters body was disin-
erred to see if any evidence of terphin-
ing in the skull could be discovered, it
having been ascertained that Marshal
Ney underwent that operation in Paris.
The skull was so far destroyed that it
was impossible to make an examination.
Now that there is no further hope of
solving the mystery. Peter Stuart Ney's
ashes should be allowed to rest in peace,
and some other scheme devised for